Jeremy Lamb Leaving UConn To Enter NBA Draft

— Jeremy Lamb has departed from UConn, declaring his intention to enter the NBA draft. Now the men's basketball program is waiting on Andre Drummond.

Lamb, having completed his sophomore season, ended what minimal suspense there was and announced through the school he was leaving. He is uncomfortable with media attention and declined to have a press conference.

"It was a difficult decision," Lamb said in a statement released by UConn, "but after much prayer and discussion with my parents, I feel that it's in the best interest of me and my family to declare myself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft and pursue my dream of playing professional basketball.

"I have very much enjoyed my two years at UConn, especially getting to experience one of the greatest feelings that a college player can have, winning the national championship."

Now the men's basketball program is waiting on Drummond, who is from Middletown.

"Right now, I'm here, that's all that matters," Drummond said as he walked out of Gampel Pavilion at 5 p.m. "I'm working on my game. I'm heading to class right now."

Although industry sources anticipate that Drummond, who just completed his freshman season, will enter the draft and may have already decided to do so, he remains non-committal. He has until April 29 to decide to go to the NBA.

"And I may not even make a decision then," he said, meaning he could stay. But since he is projected as a top-10 draft choice, the guaranteed $4 million to $6 million he could make over the next two years would be very tough to turn down.

Even though Lamb's sophomore season was somewhat disappointing compared to preseason expectations — he was an AP Preseason All-American, but honorable mention on the postseason squad — he attracted attention from scouts all season and various experts have had him going anywhere from fifth to 14th in the June draft.

He averaged 17.7 points, scoring 30 against Columbia on Nov. 11 and 32 against Villanova on Feb. 20. Lamb, 19, from Norcross, Ga., started every game, scored in double figures 31 times and led the Huskies in scoring 17 times. He is the sixth sophomore in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

In many games, though, he seemed hesitant to take his shot and did not seem to click with point guard Shabazz Napier. Also, UConn often had trouble scoring inside, allowing defenses to focus more on Lamb's perimeter shooting.

Lamb and his father, Rolando, who was drafted by the Pistons in 1985, spoke with UConn coach Jim Calhoun last Friday and the decision was all but made. Lamb is the 14th UConn player under Calhoun to leave school early to enter the NBA draft.

"It's never easy to lose a great player from your program, but Jeremy has a unique opportunity that he needs to take advantage of," Calhoun said. "He's been a great kid to coach for the past two years. … His teams have won 52 games, been to two NCAA Tournaments, and won a national championship. I look forward to him developing into a terrific player in the NBA and secondly, as he's promised me, to come back and finish his degree."

Lamb will not play another game for UConn, but his academic work becomes important to the future of the program. If he remains academically eligible to play through the end of the spring semester, the basketball team will not lose a point toward its Academic Progress Rate (APR) score for the year. If he does come back and completes his degree, the program would earn a bonus APR point. Drummond, who is not on scholarship, would not affect UConn's APR score in any event.

"I have learned a lot, both on and off the basketball court as well as in the classroom," Lamb said. "And I feel as if I'm ready to take the next step in my basketball career. I intend to successfully complete the current semester academically as I get prepared for the draft.

"I want to thank God for blessing me with the ability to play this great game. I want to thank Coach Calhoun for giving me the opportunity to play at UConn and I want to thank the entire coaching staff and all my teammates for helping me improve enough to hopefully be successful at the next level."

Lamb played a critical role in UConn's run to the 2011 championship, averaging 16.2 points and shooting 58 percent in the NCAA Tournament. He scored 24 against San Diego State in the Round of 16.

"I am proud that I will always be part of the Connecticut basketball family," he said.

Drummond, 6-10, decided to come to UConn on Aug. 26 and arrived with great expectations. He proved to be a talented athlete but raw basketball player, averaging 10 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots. He reached double figures in points and rebounds in the same game nine times, a UConn freshman record.

Because of his rare combination of size and speed, Drummond is expected to be a high draft pick and a developmental project. Drummond and his family have had several discussions with Calhoun and the UConn coaches.

UConn, now all but certain to be ineligible for the NCAA Tournament in 2013 because of sub-par APR scores, has lost starting power forward Alex Oriakhi, who is transferring, and Lamb. If the Huskies lose Drummond, their front court would be thin and inexperienced.